Disaster Management Director, Thad Hicks recently participated in The Salvation Army Disaster Directors meeting in Tampa, Florida. Hicks gave a presentation on the topic of Recognizing & Overcoming Compassion Fatigue. Compassion Fatigue is a state where a person who is helping traumatized people becomes preoccupied with those people by re-experiencing the traumatic events they were told about.

The workshop attendees were Salvation Army Emergency Managers from all over the South Eastern United States. According to Hicks, “This meeting was a great opportunity to network with professionals in the disaster field who will potentially be hiring our disaster management graduates.”

The workshop was held at The Florida Divisional Disaster Warehouse in Tampa, Florida. The Florida division of The Salvation Army is quite familiar with disaster response. Their location, directly in the path of most hurricanes, requires that they be equipped and well prepared. They currently operate a 50,000 square foot warehouse full of supplies, 42 Emergency Canteens, 2 Mobile Field Kitchens, 1 Communication Unit, 1 Command Units, and 5 Shower Units. According to warehouse staff, prior to the 2012 hurricane season, the warehouse held over 770,000 bottles of water.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination. One of The Salvation Army’s premier ministries is their response to emergencies and disasters around the world.